Elle Winters lost everything when the day of impact transformed Earth’s surface into an icy wasteland. All she knows are the artificial confines of the ARC, where people live in fear of failing their annual testing, being found tainted and taken away without warning. No one is ever truly safe in the ARC and Elle is about to be left with no choice but to uncover the truth about the tainted.Find out what it means to be tainted in this post-apocalyptic future where the secrets are as deep and dark as the fallout shelter humanity survives in.Elle Winters lost everything when the day of impact transformed Earth's surface into an icy, desolate wasteland. All she has ever known are the artificial confines of underground fallout shelter, the ARC. Under the Council's rule, ruthless officials roam the hallways, community comes first and everyone lives in fear of failing their annual testing. With one simple blood test you could be taken away without any warning or a word of goodbye.There are only a few people in the ARC who Elle truly cares about and she desperately tries to keep them at arm's length away for fear of losing someone else. Especially, her best friend Sebastian who she denies her feelings for, even from herself. Chilling secrets and mysterious disappearances plague the ARC, but Elle would never dare to voice the forbidden questions that linger on her lips. That is until they take the wrong person.No one is truly safe in the ARC and Elle is about to experience her own personal apocalypse. With nothing left to lose she will risk everything to uncover the truth about the tainted. Will she find what she's looking for or are some secrets better left buried deep underground? Don't miss the start of this young adult series!Series reading order:TAINTED (Book 1)TALENTED (Book 2)FRACTURED (Book 3)DESTINED (Book 4)

As the Titanic sinks, an English playboy aristocrat is murdered. Professor Axelson and his assistant Agnes investigate - and discover a dark conspiracy among the most powerful nations on earth. The quest becomes a breakneck life-and-death chase across an ocean and two continents - and Agnes finds she has the power to save a world on the brink of war. Or to destroy it.Yi is a retired warrior of the World Kingdom who has lost everything he loves—his home, his wife, and his daughter. Tulip is an abused child of a prostitute with a special ability—a secret that will put her life at risk if the wrong person learns of it. As war and political intrigue threaten their home, fate brings Yi and Tulip together. This novella is an excerpt from first novel in the series. Enjoy this free introduction to the Asian-inspired fantasy world of 3 Kingdoms!

It's Christmas Eve, 2014, and thirteen-year-old Shirley is listening to the same bedtime story she's heard every year. This year, she comes face to face with the frivolity fairies from the tale; naughty, careless creatures who cause mischief with no regard to morality. In a tale of Christmas spirit, magic, and happy endings, find out what happens when one little girl sets out to make things right.It's Christmas Eve, 2014, and thirteen-year-old Shirley is listening to the same bedtime story she's heard every year. This year, she comes face to face with the frivolity fairies from the tale; naughty, careless creatures who cause mischief with no regard to morality.In a tale of Christmas spirit, magic, and happy endings, find out what happens when one little girl sets out to make things right.

Maeven was a thief, a clever one. What would make her risk the King's wrath by stealing the Princess's ransom?A mother can only do so much to survive in a world without faith and hope, but what is a mother to do when the very person who created this horrible world, is her very own son? A Mother's Love follows the woman, Rosetta, as she watches her son grow into a cruel and powerful man. Blaming herself for her child’s horrid transformation, she continues to try and mother the monstrous man in her hope to change him. She strives to uphold her ideals of motherhood, knowing that if she is to ever see the light within her son’s eyes again, she must be a good mother. And of course she knows that a good mother must love, she must be patient, and above all else, she must have faith.

Leonard is sat on a solitary beach, having escaped a life that nearly destroyed him. Opposite him is sat Burt, dressed in a black suave suit despite the searing heat. He gives Leonard a glare straight from Hell itself. An exploration of the psyche, masculinity, ego and the conquering of oneself. A gripping short story that will make you ponder on your own demons, insecurities and way of living.Leonard is sat on a solitary beach, having escaped a life that nearly destroyed him. Opposite him is sat Burt, dressed in a black suave suit despite the searing heat. He gives Leonard a glare straight from Hell itself. "Why did you runaway from everything we built to sit here like a self righteous pilgrim? Why did you deny everything we created for...this?" pleads Burt. Leonard is here to kill Burt. Why? The mystery will unravel as the battle lines are drawn for the redemption of a soul. An exploration of the psyche, masculinity, ego and the conquering of oneself. A gripping short story that will make you ponder on your own demons, insecurities and way of living.

A white-collar thief tries to rob an outback petrol station, but when the cards don't fall his way, he gets lost in the burning sands and becomes the plaything for a mischievous jackdaw.15/04/2015: The Jackdaw was featured on the podcast Let Me Read To You (https://pleaseletmereadtoyou.com/) You can listen to Pat and the gang deal with the lunatic raven.A white-collar thief tries to rob an outback petrol station, but when the cards don't fall his way, he gets lost in the burning sands and becomes the plaything for a mischievous jackdaw.The Jackdaw is a modern Australian fable that illustrates the price man must pay for tampering with the natural order of things.15/04/2015: The Jackdaw was featured on the podcast Let Me Read To You (https://pleaseletmereadtoyou.com/) You can listen to Pat and the gang deal with the lunatic raven.

Mark Potts is a wounded man. When perky and independent Jenny Schroder, the woman he’s loved for nine years, tells Mark she received a top-secret letter for him at her home, Matt knows that he must open the letter to see what’s inside. He also realizes he must open his heart once again. As thugs with rugs and jolly pirates appear, can Mark and Jenny work together to find what they are looking for?Mark Potts is a wounded man. He’s rugged and agile, but carries a sadness in his heart that may never be healed. When perky and independent Jenny Schroder, the woman he’s loved for nine years, tells Mark she received a top-secret letter for him at her home, Matt knows that he must open the letter to see what’s inside. He also realizes he must open his heart once again. As thugs with rugs and jolly pirates appear, Mark and Jenny work together to find what they are looking for, and it just might be each other. Think Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Godfather meets You’ve Got Mail (though it’s real mail not email) meets Point Break (without the surfing).About Cuthbert Hemingnot: I was born a writer. It’s in my blood. Some people say they have a muse. I have more like forty-two muses. You might be surprised to know this took me only a day to write. Revisions are for the weak. Any mistakes you may find are because you are not focusing on the riveting story, and you should be blamed. This will be my debut abbreviated novel, intended to be published

Five derelicts on New York's waterfront clash in a slice of life social comparison.Five derelicts on New York's waterfront clash in a slice of life social comparison. Through five derelicts on New York's waterfront, man's humanity to his fellow man is compared, contrasted and tested. Neil and O'Looney are the barroom/bishop who brings booze and religion to sinners on the waterfront. Doc is the peace-maker and Conductor the faulted hero. Deacon, a symbol of all religions, remains in his cardboard box pulpit coming out only to fight, collect money or preach. And finally... Sharkey and Hoey, the predators.

Logan Bradley, Captain of the Cruise Light, stood tall in regal posture as he surveyed the bridge of his new interstellar vessel. Humanity was on the verge of discovering worlds beyond their solar system and they selected Logan, a chosen the tool to achieve that end. What threats lurked light years beyond the last worlds of Sol scarcely fazed him. He looked to the stars with hopeful eyes.'To Walk the Path' is the fourth (and final) installment in my epic cyber-fantasy series 'The Star Plague Journals'. Currently serialised here and on Deviant Art I'll be producing a collated edition of the finished work once it's complete. Watch this space.

Dave, his transvestite alien friend and Mad Malk save the Earth.James McEwing is an out of work writer nearing his 30's and losing patience for a big break to come along. His best friend of the same age, Gerry Galloway, is a career minor league baseball player looking for a more convincing reason than the prospect of marriage to hook him off the athletic stage.During spring training in Florida, it appears as if the vicissitude of time has finally given the two young men no choice but to submit, pack up, and together drive all the way back home to Pullman, Washington-for good. Along the way, they plan a stop in New England for a relative's 40th birthday bash, followed with a layover in Chicago for a game at Wrigley Field on Major League Baseball's opening day.It was supposed to be a farewell toast; a 3,000 mile road-trip to mark their youth coming to an end. But a clean break just wouldn't play itself out for Big Game James and Gerry G. Life comes back to pedal one more seed of opportunity in exchange for the same old price of persistence and humility.

In Hard Up! A Tale of Champion City, the first story in J. Walt Layne’s From the Pen of…, a man with no name and a monkey on his back roll into Champion City in the wee hours. There's no rest for a man in trouble with the mob. Personal demons and dead bodies revisit a man hard up and down on his luck.Pro Se Productions, the home of the Pro Se Single Shot Signature line of digital singles, announces the first tale in a new author focused digital single imprint. From the Pen of J. Walt Layne features stories by the Author of Pro Se Productions’ Champion City series of books (A Week in Hell, Breathless). Within this imprint, Layne will explore both familiar fields and new grounds of storytelling.In Hard Up! A Tale of Champion City, the first story in J. Walt Layne’s From the Pen of…, a man with no name and a monkey on his back roll into Champion City in the wee hours. There's no rest for a man in trouble with the mob. Personal demons and dead bodies revisit a man hard up and down on his luck.From the Pen of J. Walt Layne. A Pro Se Single Shot Signature writer’s imprint from Pro Se Productions.

A pair of federal agents from either side of the US–Mexico border target a cartel kingpin They call him “Cuchillo,” the Knife. Not because he kills with a blade—he has plenty of men to do that kind of work for him—but because his mind is so sharp. As Mexico’s government wages war on the drug cartels, it takes brains to survive, and Cuchillo has not just survived—he has prospered. But when Cuchillo begins to cut too deeply, the federal police of both the United States and Mexico step in to dull his blade. P. Z. Evans and Alejo Díaz know the Hermosillo cartel is planning an attack on a tourist bus in Sonora, and they know they will have to capture or kill Cuchillo to stop it. The cartel leader has one weakness: rare, old books. To destroy the intellectual’s evil empire, this unlikely pair of international police will have to appeal to his inner bibliophile.

An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, from the incomparable, bestselling author Haruki Murakami.While simply training for New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami's decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in athletic pursuit. From the Trade Paperback edition.

From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation. In this now-classic thriller, he and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a shocking tale with an all-too plausible premise. **There's no way William A. Cozzano can lose the upcoming presidential election. He's a likable midwestern governor with one insidious advantage—an advantage provided by a shadowy group of backers. A biochip implanted in his head hardwires him to a computerized polling system. The mood of the electorate is channeled directly into his brain. Forget issues. Forget policy. Cozzano is more than the perfect candidate. He's a special effect. “Complex, entertaining, frequently funny."—Publishers Weekly “Qualifies as the sleeper of the year, the rare kind of science-fiction thriller that evokes genuine laughter while simultaneously keeping the level of suspense cranked to the max."— San Diego Union-Tribune* “A Manchurian Candidate for the computer age.” —Seattle Weekly * * From the Trade Paperback edition.

In Molly Harper's newest paranormal romantic comedy, Ben, Gigi's old boyfriend, must find a way to save his new love after a freak Ultimate Frisbee accident. But will she want to live after she finds out how Ben had to save her? In this exciting addition to Molly Harper’s beloved Half-Moon Hollow series, the focus is on Gigi’s ex-boyfriend Ben. When his new girlfriend is killed in a freak Ultimate Frisbee accident, he’s determined to save her, no matter the cost, even if it means bringing her into the darkness of vampire life!

*NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • From the renowned author of “The Lottery” and The Haunting of Hill House,* a spectacular new volume of previously unpublished and uncollected stories, essays, and other writings. Features “Family Treasures,” nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Short Story Shirley Jackson is one of the most important American writers of the last hundred years. Since her death in 1965, her place in the landscape of twentieth-century fiction has grown only more exalted. As we approach the centenary of her birth comes this astonishing compilation of fifty-six pieces—more than forty of which have never been published before. Two of Jackson’s children co-edited this volume, culling through the vast archives of their mother’s papers at the Library of Congress, selecting only the very best for inclusion. Let Me Tell You brings together the deliciously eerie short stories Jackson is best known for, along with frank, inspiring lectures on writing; comic essays about her large, boisterous family; and whimsical drawings. Jackson’s landscape here is most frequently domestic: dinner parties and bridge, household budgets and homeward-bound commutes, children’s games and neighborly gossip. But this familiar setting is also her most subversive: She wields humor, terror, and the uncanny to explore the real challenges of marriage, parenting, and community—the pressure of social norms, the veins of distrust in love, the constant lack of time and space. For the first time, this collection showcases Shirley Jackson’s radically different modes of writing side by side. Together they show her to be a magnificent storyteller, a sharp, sly humorist, and a powerful feminist. This volume includes a Foreword by the celebrated literary critic and Jackson biographer Ruth Franklin. Praise for *Let Me Tell You* “Stunning.”*—O: The Oprah Magazine “Let us now—at last—celebrate dangerous women writers: how cheering to see justice done with [this collection of] Shirley Jackson’s heretofore unpublished works—uniquely unsettling stories and ruthlessly barbed essays on domestic life.”—*Vanity Fair* “Feels like an uncanny dollhouse: Everything perfectly rendered, but something deliciously not quite right.”—NPR “There are . . . times in reading [Jackson’s] accounts of desperate women in their thirties slowly going crazy that she seems an American Jean Rhys, other times when she rivals even Flannery O’Connor in her cool depictions of inhumanity and insidious cruelty, and still others when she matches Philip K. Dick at his most hallucinatory. At her best, though, she’s just incomparable.”—*The Washington Post* “Offers insights into the vagaries of [Jackson’s] mind, which was ruminant and generous, accommodating such diverse figures as Dr. Seuss and Samuel Richardson.”—The New York Times Book Review “The best pieces clutch your throat, gently at first, and then with growing strength. . . . The whole collection has a timelessness.”—*The Boston Globe* “[Jackson’s] writing, both fiction and nonfiction, has such enduring power—she brings out the darkness in life, the poltergeists shut into everyone’s basement, and offers them up, bringing wit and even joy to the examination.”*—USA Today “The closest we can get to sitting down and having a conversation with . . . one of the most original voices of her generation.”—*The Huffington Post*

Low-life writer and unrepentant alcoholic Henry Chinaski was born to survive. After decades of slacking off at low-paying dead-end jobs, blowing his cash on booze and women, and scrimping by in flea-bitten apartments, Chinaski sees his poetic star rising at last. Now, at fifty, he is reveling in his sudden rock-star life, running three hundred hangovers a year, and maintaining a sex life that would cripple Casanova. With all of Bukowski's trademark humor and gritty, dark honesty, this 1978 follow-up to Post Office and Factotum is an uncompromising account of life on the edge.

Gladys and Annie Barnes are impoverished sisters who have seen better times. They live in a modest cottage in the backstreets of Highate with Mr Fisher, a mild but eccentric old man living secretively in the attic above them. Their quiet lives are thrown into confusion when a new landlord takes over, a dreaded and unscrupulous 'rackman'. He installs his wife in part of the cottages in the hope that there she will recover from an unspecified malady. With a mounting sense of fear, Gladys and Annie become convinced she is possessed by an evil spirit...

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he'll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network. Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine's life. In Fox Forever, Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new, sexy standalone novel. Growing up, the three of us were friends. He was the nerd. I was the playboy. She was the beauty. Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits. He lied. I went off to college, and he got the girl. Amber never knew how I felt. They were together for years—before he broke her heart. Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch. When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room. Still reeling from her breakup, she’d sworn off men. One night, I opened her computer to find the shock of my life. She’d hesitantly contacted a male escort company. Afraid to date and get her heart broken again, she was looking for sex with no strings. Every emotion imaginable ran through me: protectiveness, jealousy—curiosity. Amber had chosen Gentleman Number Nine and sent him a message. She opened up to him, confessing, among other things, her physical attraction to her friend—me. But she considered me off-limits—and she thought I was a manwhore. (Ironic, considering the circumstances.) Eventually, she set up a date to meet Gentleman Nine at a hotel. When she showed up several nights later to meet him, she was stunned to see me standing there—with an offer I hoped she wouldn’t refuse.

Saxson Olaru is one of the select, the few, the elite... As a ruthless sentinel sworn to protect the ancient Vampyr king and the house of Jadon, he has “HOJ” literally inscribed on his heart: a heart that was tragically broken centuries earlier, when human hunters slayed his mother and Dark Ones murdered his father. Having survived the unthinkable, he never dreamed he would come this close to another human predator, let alone a female pretending to be his destiny. Kiera and Kyla Sparrow are twin sisters: humans, living very different lives. While Kiera is selfless, clever, and talented, Kyla is dark, duplicitous, and damaged—she belongs to a secret society of vampire-hunters, and she has sworn to destroy as many as she can. When Saxson’s Blood Moon appears in a February sky, and the matching constellation, Cetus the Sea Monster, appears on Kiera’s wrist, Kyla knows exactly what it means: The celestial gods have chosen her beautiful sister to be the eternal mate of an immortal vampire—she just doesn’t know which one. And it really doesn’t matter. If Kyla can recreate the sacred emblem on her own inner wrist, she can take Kiera’s place and commit the ultimate Blood Betrayal. When duty, obedience, and honor clash with a deep, gnawing intuition, an honor-bound warrior will be forced to choose between allegiance to the house he loves and the quiet voice within, whispering: “Warning!” One wrong move. One wrong choice. And all will be lost forever.